Combined door closer and check for doors.



V /MA V FpBRUGKER. 0011mm) DOOR CLOSER Am) CHECK FOB noons. I

Patented Oct. 3-1, 1911.;

APPLICATION fILED JAN.30,191L

Fran/cw Bra/char,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FBANCIS BRUCKER, OF SHELBY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR '10 THE-STANDARDMANUFACTURING 00., A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

Application filed January 30, 1911. Serial k0. 605,589.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS BRUCKER, citizen of the United States,residing at Shelby, Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Combined Door Closers and Checks for Doors, of

, which'the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to double acting spring hinges for doors ofthat class in which a post or stem acts, as the door is turned or swung,upon a plunger and 7 against a sprin the reaction of which tends toreturn the oor to its normal'or closed position. 5 Among the objects ofthe invention are to improve the construction of the hinge with a viewto increased simplicity, and economy of manufacture, and efficiency anddurability in use.

I have also aimed to provide in connec tion with spring hinge mechanismcarried by the door at its lower corner, a check mechanism locatedbeneath the floor, and to provide a check mechanism so located, of imroved construction.

he invention includes the novel features of construction and combinationand arrangement of parts hereinafter described and articularly pointedout in the appended 0 aims.

The invention is illustrated by the aid of the accompanying drawings inwhich:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of the hinge and checkshowing the lower corner of a door and a portion of the floor. Fig. 2 isa section on line 22 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 ofFig. 1.

Referring by reference characters to this drawing, 4 designates a framemember comprising a steel or other suitable metal strip which has onebent end 4 secured to the edge of the door by screws as shown, and atthe other end one angularly bent portion 4" serving asan abutment forthespring, the 'strip being continued from the end of this bent portionin a plane parallel with the main portion or body of the stri and beingsecured to the lower edge 0 the door by means of screws.

, Thedoor is suptported by and pivots upon a rotary post 5, e upper endof which is riveted or otherwise non-rotatably secured -to the member 4as indicated at 5, the lower portion of the post being journaled in thefloor plate 6. The floor plate has an upwardly extending bearing 6provided with lateral wings or enlargements 6? which carry pins orprojections 7 which abut against the transverse shoulder 8 of theplunger 8. which is encircled by a spring 9, one end of which bearsagainst an annular shoulder 8 on the plunger while the other end bearsagainst a nut 10 threaded on a screw bolt 11 carried by the portion 4"of the frame mem-' ber. By means of this nut the tension on the springmay be varied to. suit requirements. The plunger has a forked head asshown, the arms 8 lying upon opposite sides and embracing the post whichis preferably rab- 7o beted or reduced at this point. The head of theplunger is preferably of circular form, and a washer 12 is interposedbetween the head of the plunger and the frame plate. By this arrangementof the forked head of the plunger embracing the post it will be seenthat the plunger is guided in its reciprocating movement on 'a lineradial to the hinge post and coincident with the plane of the (1001. 0

In order to check the closing action of the door I provide fluidchecking means which are located wholly within the floor and beneath thefloor late. Forthis purpose I provide beneatli the floor plate an oil orotherfluid containing casing 12' of which the floor plate forms a cover,and to which it is suitably secured as by means of set screws. Withinthe casing is located a cylinder 13 having perforated ears 13 whichenable the cylinder to be secured to the under side of the cover orfloor plate by means of screws "13 engaging threaded openings in thebosses or projections 6. A crank arm 14 is provided on a sleeve 14 5which is pinned or otherwise secured to the post, and this crank isconnected by a link or pitman 15 with a piston 16 working within thecylinder, so that as the post turns the pitman will be reciprocated. Thepiston is provided with check valve controlled port l6 (preferably ballvalves) so that as the piston moves outwardly toward the 0 on end of thecylinder, it will permit the e passa e of oil from the chamber into thecylin er in rear of the piston. On the return movement of the pistoneffected by the closing of the door under the action of the spring, theaction is retarded by the slow escape of oil from the cylinder through110 The plunger has a shank 8 60 the passages or ports 13 and 13, whichesca can be regulated by the screw valve 17 which extends up through thefloor plate and is provided wlth a notched upper end for convenientoperation by a screw driver. The post is preferably rounded at its lowerend as indicated at 5", so as to turn freely and without friction on abearing projection on the bottom of the casing.

In order to prevent oil from creeping. up about'the post 5 above thefloor plate, suitable packing is provided around the post, between itand the bearing 6, and below the level of the floor plate an air spaceor chamber 19 is located which receives the oil which may pass up thepost to this point, and this oil is drained back into the liquid holdingcasing through the port 18.

It will be observed that by making the bearing 6 with its contactmembers fixed, .and making the post 5 movable with the door, beingsecured thereto at its upper end and having a bearing in the oil casingat its lower end, the post constitutes a hinge pin for the door which isstrongly supported and sustained, and in this respect secures animportant advantage over the construction shown in my Patent 918,502,where there is no central movable post and where the ri 'd post issupported only at the lower end, ing unsupported at its upper end,except through the medium of. a roller bearing connection.

I secure a very decided advantage in connecting the spring to the doorand locating the check beneath the floor with a connecting elementbetween, as the post 5, constitutes a hinge pin. So far as known, I amthe first to provide such a construction, and it has been done for thepurpose of"simplifying the hinge and reducin the cost. By separating thespring and c eckingmechanism, I am enabled to use springs of any lengthin the bottom of the door, and to avoid the necessity for the use of alarge recess in the floor, and a corresponding large casting suflicientto hold both checking and spring mechanism. As the-casting beneath thefloor in my construction holds the checking mechanism only, it may bemade of minimum size and use a minimum amount of oil. It frequently hapens that there is a I limited space to be utilize beneath the floor,

and a casting of the size required in my construction can be readilyused in the most limited space where a larger casting could not be soused.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In combination with a door hinge frame, a hinge post supporting thedoor hinge frame, a floor member supporting the hinge post, said hingepost being rotatable in relation to one of said elements and fixed inrelation to the other, stationary contact members located ondiametrically opposite sides of the post, a plunger having a faceadapted to bear against the contact members, and means carried by theplunger head embracing the hinge post and constituting the sole guidingmeans for the plunger, and a spring under tension. for operating theplunger.

2. A spring hinge comprising a hinge frame, a hinge post secured theretoat its upper end, abearing in which said post is journaled, stationarycontact members on each side of the hinge post, a plunger supportedonthe bearing and having a transverse face adapted to bear against thecontact members, and arms embracing opposite sides of the post andhaving guiding contact therewith to prevent lateral movement of theplunger, substantially as described.

3. A combined spring door hinge and check, comprising spring mechanismcarried by the door for efiecting the closing thereof, checkingmechanism located beneath the floor and a connect-ing device between thespring mechanism and the checking mechanism.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS BRUCKER.

Witnesses H. W. -HILDEBRANT, Es'rnLLA (homes.

